Researchers
at the Center for
Archaeological Research, Missouri State University have accumulated
over 226 document files in 37 folders and over 6,000 artifacts from
sites associated with the early nineteenth—century Delaware occupation
of the James River in southwest Missouri. These materials provide
information important to an understanding of early reservation-era
settlement patterns and economy.

James River flood plain in Delaware
Town area.

As a result of the Treaty of St. Mary’s (October 3, 1818), a
group
of Delaware moved from their homes on the West Fork of the White River
in Indiana to the West Fork of the White River, now known as the James
River, in present-day Christian County, Missouri. The Delaware land
grant was described as 70 miles E—W and 44 miles N—S, or 3,080 square
miles, encompassing parts or all of present-day Barry, Stone,
Christian, Greene, and Lawrence counties. Although this land grant
comprised 1,971,200 acres, the Delaware inhabited only 21,120 acres in
1825 and 38,400 acres just prior to their removal to the present-day
Kansas City area in 1830—1831. The settlement of Delaware at the
confluence of Wilsons Creek and the James River was described by
Weslager (1972):

The main Delaware settlement, known as Anderson’s [Anderson
was the
chief of this group of Delaware] Village or simply Delaware Village,
was located on James Fork near Wilson’s Creek in the northwest part of
Christian County. Typical of Indian communities, it extended
haphazardly up and down the river bank, with the cornfields planted by
the Indians lying between their cabins and the river. There were also
scattered areas of occupation elsewhere on both the James Fork and
Wilson’s Creek, each housing Indian families having kinship ties
(Weslager 1972:362-363)

Flood plain looking toward the James
River.

Fur traders William Gillis and James Wilson lived and worked
among
the Delaware on the James River. Gillis was connected with the trading
house of Menard and Valle in Ste. Genevieve. Pierre Menard, a principal
of the firm, was an Indian subagent for the fledgling Department of
Indian Affairs and visited the Delaware at their villages on the James
River. Gillis established a trading post somewhere near Anderson’s
village to provide the Delaware with needed supplies. James Wilson
traveled with the Delaware from Indiana to Missouri and served as an
interpreter. He was eventually relieved of his government duties and
established a fur trading post near the confluence of the James River
and his namesake, Wilson Creek.

The Delaware were firmly entrenched in the fur trade at the
time,
receiving most of their goods from trading houses in Kaskaskia, Ste.
Genevieve, and other eastern cities. During this phase of the fur trade
era, traders were required to hold a government license to trade with
native peoples. It was thought that this type of governmental control
over trading activities would lessen dishonest practices. Though
paternalistic in nature, the idea of licensure was to protect native
groups from those traders who would take advantage of their Indian
patronage. However, Gillis operated without a license, which became a
repeated topic of correspondence between the Department of Indian
Affairs and Indian Subagent John Campbell, who also lived among the
Delaware on the James River.

CAR archaeologists and other historians have been actively
studying
this section of the James River valley since 1999. Over the past five
years, CAR has identified at least four sites dating to the Delaware
occupation of the area (A.D. 1822-1830). Based on historic accounts
that describe Delaware lifeways and material culture, the artifacts and
features from these sites are consistent with Delaware ethnicity during
that time period. The Delaware practiced agriculture, growing crops of
corn and raising pigs, in addition to hunting and gathering.

Two sites along the James River appear to be representative of
the
core of Delaware occupation in this region. Sites 23CN1 and 23CN455 are
situated on a deflated Pleistocene terrace below a relatively steep
sloping ridge. The Delaware Town site (23CN1), the first site recorded
for all of Christian County, was originally described as a prehistoric
Late Archaic and Woodland site. Over the years, it has yielded a wealth
of prehistoric artifacts, including a wide variety of projectile points
such as Table Rock, Kings, Reed, Scallorn, and many others. It wasn’t
until 1999 that the site was revisited and the historic component was
identified.

Limited excavations were undertaken at 23CN1 by Missouri State
University’s archaeological field schools in 2004 and 2005. Systematic
metal detecting served to assist in targeting the locations of
excavations. A rectangular feature (Feature 2) that measured 3—x—5 m
(10-x-16 ft) was encountered during the 2004 fieldwork and excavations
were resumed at the location of this feature in 2005. The feature fill
was a gray silty clay loam that contained charcoal and burned clay. It
was relatively darker than the surrounding soil matrix. The 2004
fieldwork also revealed several small circular features in close
proximity to Feature 2, as well as a pit feature. The small circular
features likely represented the locations of holes in which structural
posts once stood, whereas the pit feature extended below the floor of
structural Feature 2.

In 2005, an additional post hole and a large ash-laden area
were
identified and excavated. All of the features observed in 2004 and 2005
are consistent with the structural plan of a dog-trot or double-pen
cabin that likely contained a hearth. Some of the recovered materials
include silver tinkle cones, jewelry, glass beads, iron cones, an iron
horseshoe, an iron fishhook, a pair of scissors, British gunflints, and
square cut nails. Although the site has been plowed and prehistoric
materials were encountered, it was evident that some features and
materials remain intact below the plowzone, which extends to a maximum
depth of about 30 cm below the surface.

Metal detection at 23CN455 in 2005 yielded a dense
concentration of
iron objects and smelting wastes. It is possible that site 23CN455
represents the location of the Delaware blacksmith. Documents show that
James Pool was the blacksmith at the James Fork trading post. He was
hired by the Federal Government. He left the southwest Missouri in
1830, moving to the Kansas City area with the Delaware.